Jump to content

Seven Win Steve Rides Again!


closetojumping

Recommended Posts

I think everyone hopes Sark is the guy. He seems like a good dude, has a great comeback story, recruits well, and is a great offensive mind, even if he gets too cute/stubborn at times.  

The jury is still out as to whether we will likely contend for anything of significance with him or if he's just a 9-3 coach.  I personally am still in the doubter camp.

That said, barring some collapse or booze/sex scandal,  he probably will and should be here a while.  I've seen nothing from our athletic department to convince me we could hire anyone better.  We suck at hiring football coaches - we're not OU.  

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/texas-longhorns-steve-sarkisian-big-12-title-game-oklahoma-sooners

Pretty good piece. Yes, it’s still in front of us. I like the sentiment but have heard it before (last year for starters where we all wound up quasi Rock Chalk fans rooting for Kansas to help us backdoor into the Big 12 championship.) Anyway it’s a pretty good read.  It is still in front of us. 

Edited by Nicole44
  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Rage+1 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Let's be clear about a few things, because I'm happy with the direction of this thread and this post deviates in a way that doesn't excite me. It's not a bad post or anything, just addressing something that I don't see needing to be addressed here.

I am not calling for Seven Loss Steve's firing in this thread. I don't see others doing it. I want, desperately, for this guy to work out and for the program to get back to winning big. I also have stated repeatedly that the dude will get 4 years no matter what. That conviction comes from actually hearing some of the thoughts from inside the AD and booster base. 

I wrote this thread mostly out of ennui and for cheap entertainment. Anyone calling for the guy's head right now is an idiot and should be negged into a new handle. Anyone skeptical of the guy getting it done, of which I am certainly one, has a right to be. There is a difference. I think all but the simplest of idiots hanging around here want to see the guy and the team breakthrough.

Speaking of simple idiots, your first few posts fucking suck. You come across as a troll, and most of us would probably agree that this handle is a new iteration of someone who has already been crowdsourced. You don't have to start posting if you don't have something productive to offer yet. Otherwise, an early crowdsourcing might be what the doctor ordered.

Fair. I'm not tying to push that narrative. Just stating that what this program has done over the last 10+ years is not conducive to building a short or long term winner. At some point, one of these guys has to be given some time...

Edited by mannewers
english is hard
  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, mannewers said:

Fair. I'm not tying to push that narrative. Just stating that what this program has done over the last 10+ years is not conducive to building a short or long term winner. At some point, one of these guys has to be given some time...

I agree on the time aspect of it. Strong wasn’t given time because he wasn’t a P5 HC. Herman wasn’t given anymore time bc of off-field stuff (legion—and in addition to those was a raging asshole.) how much time will Sark get though is kinda in his court. Ya know? Like wins/losses type deal. This is our last “easy” year. Next year is SEC. The cupboard is stocked with players and a pipeline for more. The criticism, which is absolutely fair, is not going to keep him from having “time.” It’s a win/loss type of thing in my mind. A lot of great coaches (up and coming ones) would kill for our roster. Would have loved to have had last year two world class RBs like Rojo and Bijan. Sark is entirely in control of how much “time” he gets. A lot of people, me included, are pissed because we have this year, a real chance to make the CFP and we don’t want to see it blown up. But yes, not many people have suggested or are suggesting he not have time. Time is up to Sark. 

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, Nicole44 said:

https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/texas-longhorns-steve-sarkisian-big-12-title-game-oklahoma-sooners

Pretty good piece. Yes, it’s still in front of us. I like the sentiment but have heard it before (last year for starters where we all wound up quasi Rock Chalk fans rooting for Kansas to help us backdoor into the Big 12 championship.) Anyway it’s a pretty good read.  It is still in front of us. 

The eye test says that Kansas and Oklahoma seem to be about the same. Ou probably has one more talented receiver, and definitely better linebacker play.

  • Rage+1 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not in the "Fire Seven-win Steve" camp. However, I am in the "Get this shit FIXED, NOW" camp.

It's hard for me - and many of you as well - to believe he's going to do it, but I agree he needs another year, maybe even two, to get it all done. This year started out so well, with the Bama win, that it's tough to take the loss to OU in stride. Having the QB shit all over the first part of the game, then losing "the last four - first four" battle, but then and settling in, taking the lead, and finally watching a cluster-fuck D piss away the last minute and change.... that sucked, bigly. As has been pointed out already, we spent all spring, summer, and fall camp preparing for Bama, while OU spent that same time preparing for us. It showed. 

Here's the deal: go 6-0, or 5-1, maybe even 4-2 the rest of the way, and all (or nearly all) will be forgiven. Reprise Year One and drop 6 in a row, fire the miserable bastard. It might take dumping PK if we don't show some dramatic improvement on that side. One of the reasons that's been tolerated seems to be that the OC doesn't presume to get on the DC, and the HC lets him get away with it. 

Oh, and while you're at it, Steve... ditch the Ruhlesque wardrobe, and get a decent haircut. Not sure about these days, but some years back, when I was in England on the reg, that brushup shit was the response to "tell me you're gay, without using words." Maybe things are different now, but I'm old and it's stuck with me.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

33 minutes ago, mannewers said:

At some point, one of these guys has to be given some time.


Indeed. My grandpa always said 4 years to switch coaches and for them to get rolling. 
 

Granted that was well before portal/nil, and also before the bcs. Beside the point.

In some situations you can tell early on a coach is over their skis. See: Strong, Herman, etc.

In others you have to have some patience, and that’s not our strong suit.

 

I’m not sure how the portal/nil changes that timeline specifically, and when you throw in what a cesspool we’ve been left with to clean out, it’s going to take a little time. Bama, Georgia, etc were not built overnight. If you want to build a strong, lasting program, you have to do the work and take the lumps that come along way.

I see progress as a whole, and I think Sark is using his Bama experience to build a program of that type.

I can’t say it will or will not come to fruition. However the progress being made is significantly more than we’ve seen in at least the past decade. I’m alright with that for now, and ok with a bit of cautiously optimistic patience. 
 

Not a blind eye, and there’s a lot of work to be done.

 

What I do see as a positive is that NIL has changed the game, and tilted things to our favor potentially. Of course that’s provided we can actually leverage that advantage not just in the short term, but the long term. 
 

This is where the work being done with Burnt Ends, Texas One Fund, etc is making a difference. A damn fine start, and already making an impact. Hopefully it’s one of the assets the staff can leverage and finally put to use in the game. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Tex Pete said:

How many times have we played them twice in one season?

 

4 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I think only once and we split that series. I'd prefer winning the Big 12 title if we make it there and beating them then over the regular season game. Going forward the goal should be beat Oklahoma every year....that should be entrenched into our players psyche.

 

3 hours ago, Had Enough said:


Only the once. I was joking. I’m not finished being pissed so rematch isn’t really on my mind yet.

We have played Oklahoma multiple times in three seasons. 1901, 1902, and 2018. We went 2-0 in 1901, 1-0-1 in 1902, and 1-1 in 2018.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next two games will tell us all we need to know about the rest of the season.

Road game in Houston
Home against BYU

Either Sark gets this team to come out and destroy teams to get another shot at OU or we muddle along trying not to shoot ourselves in the foot as usual.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

It’s almost too expensive to be alive now. Imagine 20 years from now 

 

Yeah the way life expectancy in the US has been trending the past few years we could see it drop to the 60s in the next few decades. A combination of medical misinformation, increasing socioeconomic hardships leading to poor diets, poor mental health, declining air quality etc etc we’re all in this shit show together. Eat Arbys 


 

 

image.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, perfectchaos007 said:

At the end of the day we are 5-1 to begin season 3 of Sark. We were also 5-1 to begin season 2 of Herman. As much as I want to believe this team is far superior to Herman's and we're going to win our next 7 games and clinch our first conference title in 14 years, we are a battered fanbase that no longer buys stock in potential. Results are all that matter at this stage, and until those results come we'll remain pessimistic and skeptic. Chris Fowler had the most Texas fan appropriate reaction moments after Texas beat Alabama when he said "Texas. Is. 2-0!". He stopped short of saying Texas is back because he knows how often that has been said over the past decade + only to see the season eventually fall apart. All there is to do at this point is to ride out the rest of the season and see how we ended up in early December. 

Herman was not a bad football coach. He was a bad head football coach for UT because he was a huge shithead and was starting to cause locker room fallout. With the NIL change that happened I bet that Herman has more wins and success than Sark up to this point. The difference is it was super questionable how sustainable that success was because of how much he was alienating the players and boosters alike. His X’s and O’s didn’t get him fired. Neither did his record. 

  • Hook 'Em 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, immamac said:

Herman was not a bad football coach. He was a bad head football coach for UT because he was a huge shithead and was starting to cause locker room fallout. With the NIL change that happened I bet that Herman has more wins and success than Sark up to this point. The difference is it was super questionable how sustainable that success was because of how much he was alienating the players and boosters alike. His X’s and O’s didn’t get him fired. Neither did his record. 

Yes. Whatever personality traits led to those issues was killing recruiting and I don’t think even having NIL would have let it recover. His firing was warranted on thah basis alone.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, lilMAC25 said:

Yes. Whatever personality traits led to those issues was killing recruiting and I don’t think even having NIL would have let it recover. His firing was warranted on thah basis alone.

correct, but it didn't really have to do with W/L production etc we don't need to rehash it here, but lets not pretend like Sark is winning more fucking games that the Turtle. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, lilMAC25 said:

Yes. Whatever personality traits led to those issues was killing recruiting and I don’t think even having NIL would have let it recover. His firing was warranted on thah basis alone.

Yeah, how many legit players had no interest in Texas under Herman or who, like Ewers, became increasing jaded about Texas because of him. Come on now, this program would be in much better shape if Ewers didn’t get run off by Tom’s asshole behavior

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, immamac said:

correct, but it didn't really have to do with W/L production etc we don't need to rehash it here, but lets not pretend like Sark is winning more fucking games that the Turtle. 

You’re preaching to the choir with this one. Too many people here get so wrapped up in this coach or that at TEXAS as if he’s their dad or the guy who was fucking their mother behind their daddy’s back. Herman wasn’t going to be successful going forward at TEXAS. Admin correctly fired him for that. Sark is recruiting better (not just rankings, but filling team needs), but his on field  results haven’t caught up yet. 
 

My hope is that the light switch turns on/we stockpile so much talent that we out talent EVERYONE on our schedule. Gonna be harder with Bammer and UGA in the immediate future schedule.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, immamac said:

lets not pretend like Sark is winning more fucking games that the Turtle. 

Who is pretending that? The program *feels* in much better shape with Sark than Herman. We lost to OU a few days ago, it sucks. We are 5-1, which is what most people thought we’d be through 6 games. We just happened to swap the Bama/OU games. A game we lost by 4 points in the final 15 seconds  

In year 3, Herman also lost to OU, and TCU, and Iowa State. Year 2 was awesome, but we lost to Maryland and Ok State, and had one score wins against KU, KSU, Tulsa, Tech and Baylor. 

Sark’s recruiting >> Tom’s

Sark: 5-7 -> 8-5 (with our starting QB missing a bunch of games and a bowl game loss without BR, RJ and DO) -> 5-1 through 6 games. Can everyone just fucking calm down until December? If we finish with 10-11 wins, the progression beats the shit out of Tom’s 

If we finish 10-2 or 11-1, Sark will have 23 or 24 wins through 3 years before a bowl game. Tom had 25. That’s not some huge difference. 

Edited by Js1
  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2017 - 3-3

2018 - 5-1

2019 - 4-2

2020 - 4-2

Herman's best start was in 2018. In that season, he opened with another embarrassing loss to Maryland. The guy lost his battering ram after 2020 and would have lost Thompson and Card with his playcalling by some point in the middle of 2021. I'm not real sure that dude has a better record from 2021-2023 so far than Sarkisian. Recruiting was freefalling, the portal and NIL exploded, and his own team disliked him. 

  • Hook 'Em 7
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, utee94 said:

Am I missing the sarcasm?  Half this message board has been in near-meltdown mode since Saturday 2:30 PM.  Constant arguing whether it's the coaches that suck or the players that suck or the refs that suck. Heck, CTJ nearly jumped.

We're dealing with some serious shit, here.

7938d370-eb27-4bde-b647-aaa0294c49f6_tex

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Nicole44 said:

Herman wasn’t given anymore time bc of off-field stuff (legion—and in addition to those was a raging asshole.)

 

And recruiting was about to fall off a cliff. The program was clearly not going on the right direction.

 

2 hours ago, Tex Long said:

ditch the Ruhlesque wardrobe, and get a decent haircut

 

Sark can wear a clown suit, grow a skullet, and wear Nick Rhodes ca. 1981 eyeliner if he wins the fucking games.

 

1 hour ago, immamac said:

I swear to fucking god you people don’t remember how awesome it was to win the sugar bowl and absolutely kick the shit out of Georgia. 

 

I do, just like I remember how great it was to win the BCS in January '06, or to win the inaugural Big XII title, and being at that amazing Houston game in '90.

That does not mean that any of those coaches get a pass for their subsequent behavior.

 

1 hour ago, Henry Hill said:

Bunch of miserable fucks in this thread. 

You say that like it's a bad thing.

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Tex Long said:

Oh, and while you're at it, Steve... ditch the Ruhlesque wardrobe, and get a decent haircut. Not sure about these days, but some years back, when I was in England on the reg, that brushup shit was the response to "tell me you're gay, without using words." Maybe things are different now, but I'm old and it's stuck with me.

Oh Surly, never change.  The manly men who always bitch about people's fashion. 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, immamac said:

correct, but it didn't really have to do with W/L production etc we don't need to rehash it here, but lets not pretend like Sark is winning more fucking games that the Turtle. 

No need to rehash the Turtle but I’d like to remind everyone that likes jewelry, that on your birthday month you get 50% off at Kendra Scott. (If people don’t get the reference I cannot help them.)

One thing I do like about Sarkisian is admitting mistakes. Something Herman was immune to. Sometimes stubbornness leads to greatness. Where my criticism and skepticism abounds with Sark is with play calling duties/acting OC and a HC. This has caused the bulk of his WTF losses. He certainly has been humbled by his experiences and he is arrogant (most of it warranted—and in a good way) but not in a Herman fuck up the recruiting pipeline, alienate BMDs and fans alike “Lenny in Of Mice and Men” way (another Herman reference.) With him we will always have Georgia and Bevo almost destroying their mascot.

O/T (sort of) from our seats at the game Saturday, we had a great view of Bevo and he was in a bad mood ALL GAME! At one point he tried to knock over the fence around his enclosure. He was fucking pissed. I think some of that had to do with that orange smoke bomb they set off in that end zone where he was. But did anyone see him almost knock his fence over? He was pretty pissy. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

There's a reason the only school that took a chance on Herman was FAU. Universally disliked by players, admin, HS coaches, and peers alike.

Sark is a better recruiter and more likeable but generally a mediocre at best in terms of game management.

 

So bring in another former HC (retired) turned analyst to help with that. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish we had Herman as a consultant. Dude always had a good plan for the big games. He played up to his competition, but, unfortunately, he also played down. It’s like his little mensa ego could only be bothered to work hard for the Sugar Bowl or OU. “Oklahoma State this week? Let’s just run our stuff, coaches. Who wants to go Sugar’s with me and Kendra?”

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

spacer.png 

I'm just not sure we can trust somebody that woke up and chose to put on this suit to make crucial in-game decisions.

He didn’t choose it. His wife did. Just like most of us happily married men, you pick your battles. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Oh Surly, never change.  The manly men who always bitch about people's fashion. 

 

4 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

spacer.png 

I'm just not sure we can trust somebody that woke up and chose to put on this suit to make crucial in-game decisions.

 

Just now, NoRagrets said:

He didn’t choose it. His wife did. Just like most of us happily married men, you pick your battles. 

There are many headscratcher topics for me that rear their head on this site. People getting worked up about recruiting edits, or font types, time of day in which a game is played, and on and on. That said, the incessant conversing around various fashion styles and choices and UT gear is the weirdest and one of the most boring.

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, NoRagrets said:

He didn’t choose it. His wife did. Just like most of us happily married men, you pick your battles. 

There’s nothing wrong with the suit. Niecy Nash’s wife wore it to the Emmy’s I think not too long after he wore it. I could care less what he wears. I do care about how he coaches. Period. But the designer of the suit is well known. Anyway, fuck what he wears. Just win out and beat OU in a rematch and I will lay off my Sark “can’t be HC and OC at same time” soapbox. That should make everyone happy 😃 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

Niecy Nash’s wife below: 

IMG_7598.jpeg

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, immamac said:

I swear to fucking god you people don’t remember how awesome it was to win the sugar bowl and absolutely kick the shit out of Georgia. 

The opener in DC sucked fucking balls and it always sucks to lose to OU (especially in the CCG), but that season was by a million miles the best one of our 13+ in the wilderness. I would argue it’s the 6th ‘most enjoyable’ since the Mack era, trailing only 1998, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009. I realize the last two were nut kicks because we could have won national titles in both of them, but the season-long journeys were badass….

  • Hook 'Em 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do worry about a few things:

1. slow starts (except for Bama)

2. Trips to the red zone (5-11 coming away with TDs; through 6 weeks we are 12th in the current iteration of the Big 12–wtf is going on there.)

3. The in-game stuff. I realize Auburn isn’t always “money” but sometimes taking a FG on 4th down for the points is better than a trip down there with nothing. Tons of threads breaking down the game so no need to elaborate there. This is where I think Sark gets lost in the weeds with the squatting and burying his nose in the playbook to the point that in a T/O he’s still walking onto the field just buried in it. I know that playcalling is his strength and all that but as I keep harping on we need him to get more involved in the HC stuff in game. The WTF losses are a prime example of him leaning too much into OC duties and not enough into HC stuff imo. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...